Outboard motor mounting



UNITED f STATES PATENT ori-ICE SELLIER A. WITKE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ABSIGNOB TO OUTBOARD KOTOR-8 CORPORATION, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION F MICHIGAN OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTING Application led `January 97, 1932. Serial No. 589,105.

This invention relates to improvements in outboard motor mounting, and has reference particularly to that class of outboard motor which reverses b a bodily turning movement and is tiltabJ upon encountering 'a submerged obstacle.

In the past it has been necessary to provide tiltable outboard motors with some sort of a lock effective upon the reversal of said `motors to prevent theml from tilting. It'is'A the primary object of this invention to providel an outboard motor mounting in which the tilting status of the motor will be pre-.

Y. served at all times, the direction of thrust through parts relatively movable in the course of tilting being constant irrespective of the direction of propulsion, whereby there is no tendency for the motor to tilt when reversed, and accordingly no anti-tilting 'lock of any kind is required.

Tiltable dirigible outboard motors previously devised have in every. instance been so designed that the collar in which the motor turns for steering or for reversal has partaken of the tiltmg movement. It is this' fact which has made the use of anti-tilting locksnecessary.. It is my purpose in the present device to provide a motor wherein the collar or bearing in' which the motor is dirigible for steeringand reversal, does not partake of the tilting movement, the motor being tiltable with respect to this collar and f hence capable .of exerting its thrust constantly .in a predetermined direction respecting said ollar whether the motor is-propelling a boat orward or astern. y t

More speciflcall'sv stated, I propose to provide for a motor which is bodilyreversible for steering and mounting which includes a fixed bearing, and a complementary bearing member dirigible with the motor for steering and reversing and with res ect to which the motor is pivotally engage and secured by an adjustable-stop. It is my object to make the'aforesid mounting of such a character that it may comprise a separate object of manufacture and be applied either to exist- -in'g motors or to motors specially designed in accordance with this invention.

It is a further importa-nt ob]ect of the invention to freely tiltab e at all times and in all positions of dirigible ad'istment, whetheror not arranged forwar y or in reversal. In the drawing:

-Figure 1 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through a motor mounting vembodying this invention and applied to an outboard motor of generally yconventional de'- sign which is illustrated in side elevation.

ure 1. f

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail in section taken in the plane indicated at 3--3 in Figure 2.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutA the several views. v

.The 4mounting includes a pair of bracket arms 3 each of which comprises a portion 4 for engaging the rear of a boat transom, and a relatively shorter portion 5 carrying .the usual set screw 6 adapted to be tightened against the front of the boat transom engaged 'by bracket arm portion 4.'

' Connecting the bracket arms 3 is an annular bearing ring k7 flan d at 8 tosupport a bear-l as will be understood by all those familiar with this art, will, in its forward propelling position, exert its thrust to the right as the parts appear in' Figs. 1 and 2. A

The clamp 18 is provided with trunnions 19 which are engaged in sockets 20 formed in the sides of the bearing member 9, whereby the clamp and the outboard motor associated therewith are freely tiltable in a direction transverse to the thrust of the aforesaid propeller except as hereinafter noted.

rovide a motor which will be v -Figure 2 is a plan view of the mounting taken in the plane indicated at 2-2 in Fig- It is necessary to provide means for accommodating the outboard motor to various boat transoms and to prevent'the outboard motor from tilting forwardly in the direction of thrust of its propeller. The clampmembe'r l18 is provided, therefore, with an arm at 25 which extends above a portion of the bearing .providing a bearing, vof a bearing member 'dirigible with respect thereto, and an outboard motor tiltable withrespect to said bear- A member 9 and-is adjustably limited in its movement toward said bearing member by means of a set screw 26, preferably provided with a lock nut at 27. With thel bracket portion of the mounting secured to any given oat transom, the set screw is adjusted i through arm to fix the shaft housing 16 in the substantially vertical position in which it is designed'to operate.

The adjustment of the motor to a Vertical position can also be accomplished by attaching the bearing ring to the bracket arms 3 by means of trunnions that could be locked in the desired position. tagei thatthe steering axis will always be vertica It will be obvious that the thrust exerted on the lower portion of the shaft housing by the propeller in a direction toward the right V in Fig. 1, cannot oscillate the supporting clamp 18 about trunnicns 19 because of arm 25 and the engagement of set screw 26 with the rotatable bearingmember 9. If, however, the lower unit strikes a submerged 'obstacle tending to swing shaft housing 16 about trunnions 19 to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, the entire motor will be free to'tilt as a unit about said trunnionsL c The outboard motor is provided at 28 with a tiller and at 29 with an auxiliary tiller normally projecting rearwardly, but available for use when the boat is being propelled rearwardly by the bodily reversed motor. When either tiller is in use the motor may b e turned freely by the rotation of bearing member 9 vin the fixed bearing annulus 10, `and reversalis accomplished by vsimply turning the entire assembly around withins'aid annulus.

It is particularly to be noted that regardless of the extent to which'the motor isdirigibly manipulated within the fixed bearing annulus 7, thed'irection of thrust lof arm 25 with respect to bearing member 9 and annulus 7 will remain constant, being invariably downwardly in the particular construction herein disclosed. Y

Because of this arrangement, it also follows that in any position of dirigible adjustment of the parts the entire motor is always free to tilt upon strilng a submerged obstacle.

The parts are not locked against tilting under any circumstances. This feature is a great advantage in maneuvering in shallow or obstructedwaterways, in that it gives to the 'motor the same protectionatall times which has heretofore been availablel motorwas .in use forforward It will be observed' that t This has the advanonly when the e clamp' 1 8 is applicable to the shaft housing of any mo-- tor of sui-table size, and said motor will be .adjustable in the clamp to any desired height l without affecting in any particular the tilting or other4 adjustments 'of the mounting.

I claim: y 1. The combination rwith bracket means ing member and extending through the bearing therefor.

2. The combination with bracket means, of

a bearing member dirigible with respect thereto, an outboard motor tiltable with' retor and bearing member for limiting the tiltv ing movement of said motor to a position in which the thrust of said propeller is approximately horizontal, said motor in all dirigible adjustments being freely tiltable from-said position in opposition to said thrust.

3.. An outboard 'motor mounting comprising bracket means providing, a bearingv inember dirigibly adjustable respecting said bracket means, and an outboard motor support pivotallytiltableA upon said bearing member and extending through said bearingv and provided withmeans limiting its tilting l movement in one-direction while permitting 1t freedomof tilting. movement in an oppofl site direction from a predetermined posi tion. 5 i

4.' An outboard motor mounting comprising the combination with av bearing annulus, of an apertured bearing member rotatable with respect to vsaid annulus,`an outboard motor support registering with the aperture of said bearing member and pivotally tiltable about an laxis 'transverse with respect thereto, and means for limiting the tilting movement of said support in one direction from a predetermined position. 5. A support for a tiltable motor comprising the combination with bracket means and a bearing member connected therewithv and having an opening of suflicient size to receive and permit the movement of the shaft housing portion of the tiltable motor `of a ycomplementary bearing dirigibly adjustable respectingsaid member, an outboard motor support pivotally mountedlfor tilting movement upon a transverse axis within said bearing,

and means for'limit'ing the tilting movement of said support. 1

6. The combination with bracket' means, of a non-tiltable bearing annulus carried thereby, anapertured bearing member rotatable respecting said annulusan outboard motor' l support pivotally mounted for tilting upon said member, an arm tiltable with said motor support and engageable in one direction of the tilting ofA said motor su port with a nontiltable part, and means adJustable for varying the point of engagement between said arm and part whereby to dene a normal position of said support from which said support is freely tiltable in a direction to move y rection from a predetermined position, said means comprising an arm pro]ecting across said member from said support.

8. An outboard motor mounting comprising the combination with a bearing ring and means supporting said ring for dirlgible movement, of an outboard motor support tiltably adjustable upon an axis exten ing transversely of said ring and connected with said ring to partake of the diri 'ble movement thereof, and means adjusta ly engageable between said support and ring for determining a predetermined position of said support from which said support is tiltable in one direction only. 1

9. An outboard motor construction comprising a motor, a propeller, a driving shaft, a housing for said shaft, and a. bracket carrying said housing, the vmounting of said housing on said bracket comprisin a part on said housing journaled on said racket to permit rotation of said housing and said propeller to change the direction of thrust of said propeller for steering and for reversing a boat, said part on said housing also being journaled to permit tilting of said housing Anient means positioned between said housing and said bracket and disposed to prevent tilting of said housing-in the direction of thrust of said propeller, said abutment means permitting tilting thereof in an opposite direction.

ELMER A.

lmi

in a vertical plane coinciding with the line of thrust of said propeller in each steering and reversing position to which it ma be rotated, and 'abutment means positione be tween said housing and said-bracket to prevent tilting of said housing in the direction of thrust of the said propeller, said abutment means permitting tilting of said housing in an opposite direction.

10. An outboard motor construction comprising a motor, a propeller, a driving shaft for said propeller, a substantially'verticallyx disposed housing for said shaft, and a bracket l carrying said housin said housing being mounted in said brac et for rotation on a substantially vertical axis to change the direction of thrust of said propeller for steerand for reversing a boat, and being tiltab e on a horizontal axis for oscillating movement in a plane coinciding with the line of thrust of said propeller in all positionsto which said housmg may be rotated, and abut- 

